Surgical Instrument

Abstract

In order to further develop a surgical instrument with an energy-driven operating device, an energy storage device as well as a control device for driving the operating device as required and supplying it with energy from the energy storage device such that an optimum utilization of the capacity of the energy storage device is achieved without any risk for the surgeon or the patient, in particular in view of the different energy requirements of the individual operating processes, it is suggested that when a predetermined state of residual charge of the energy storage device is reached and / or it is fallen below for the first time the control device make its residual charge available for returning the tool into a rest position.

Description

[0001]This application claims the benefit of German Patent Application No. 10 2010 012 011.1 filed on Mar. 12, 2010.[0002]The present disclosure relates to the subject matter disclosed in German application number 10 2010 012 011.1 of Mar. 12, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]The invention relates to a surgical instrument with an energy-driven operating device, an energy storage device as well as a control device for operating the operating device as required and supplying it with energy from the energy storage device.[0004]Instruments of this type are known with an operating device which is driven electrically or pneumatically. Accumulators or batteries or rather gas cartridges serve as energy storage devices.[0005]The energy capacity is necessarily limited in the case of such instruments, with the risk that operating processes can no longer be finished when the charge capacity is exhausted.[0006]T...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0020]In this way, a better exploitation of the energy stored in the energy storage device may be realized in the case of clip appliers, for example appliers for vessel clips, anastomosis clips, aneurysm clips etc.

[0025]In this case, it may also be of advantage when the predetermined state of residual charge can be adjusted. The use of the supply of energy can thus be coordinated more exactly with the energy consumption of the respective operating steps to be carried out.

Problems solved by technology

The energy capacity is necessarily limited in the case of such instruments, with the risk that operating processes can no longer be finished when the charge capacity is exhausted.

This is a problem, in particular, in the case of operations which relate to the central nervous system when the instruments are used to remove, for example, bones or tissue material from the patient with a considerable use of force, for example with so-called bone punches.

The problem for the surgeon is then that the bone punch cannot be released from the patient and replaced by another instrument ready for use.

The space for accommodating the energy storage device is considerably restricted as a result.

A permanent connection to an external energy source is also not desirable from an ergonomic point of view.

In many cases, operations do, however, require a supply of energy which would necessitate too large a volume and weight for one single energy storage device.

In such a case, care has to be taken for the reasons specified that the instrument does not remain in an undefined operating state when the energy storage device is exhausted since this would entail a risk for the patient being treated and, in addition, hinder the work of the surgeon.

These concepts are unsatisfactory, in particular, for instruments which are more complex from an energy point of view since the supply of energy from the energy storage device can be used only very incompletely on account of the different energy requirements per operating process or, in another case, the risk is still present of the instrument no longer being supplied with the necessary energy while an operating process is being carried out, with the consequences described above.

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